Puzzle



May 14, 1935., L. R. LANE ,www

PUZZLE Filed Aug. 51, 1954 inventionrelates `to `improvements agi An object of my Patented` May 14, 1935 uNlTi'LDV STAT 2,001,067 mi; PUZZLE PATENT oFFicE.

4Louis RayLane, Habana, Cuba e Application August 31,1934, Serial No. 742,301

` Claims. (CL 27344-153) 1n puzzles, andfit consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed. i invention is to provide a deviceI of a simpfle nature and one which apparently can be easily solved, but which actually is comparatively difficult. i

A further object of the invention is to provide a puzzle in the shape of a ball having a movable member cooperating therewith for producing the result desired, and in which the ball also serves as a protecting cover for the movable member and for certain gures carried by the latter.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specication and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompany- I which:

Figure l is a face view of one embodiment of the invention showing the parts in position to complete or solve the puzzle.

Figure 2 is a View of the interior movable member, which in the present instance is a ball.

Figure 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Fig. l showing a modified form of the puzzle, and,

Figure 5 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 2 showing a modified form of the interior ball.

In carrying out my invention I make use of a ball Ii which may be of any suitable material,

` tures, letters, etc. might be used.

Enclosing the'inner ball 6 is an outer ball 8, which in the present form of theinvention, is opaque. It is provided with openings 9 which correspond with the positions of the figures 1, so that when the balls are in the relative positions shown in Fig. 1, these figures will be seen through the openings 9 in the outer ball or shell. In this particular form of the device any one of these openings constitutes means for access to the interior ball 6, which is rotatable within the outer shell so as to bring the gures I out of registration with the openings `9.

In the use of the device, the inner ball is first moved by placing the tip of the nger through `part does not t, as one often finds in the ordione of the openings 9 and bringing itinto frictional `engagement with the outer surface of the inneriball when by moving the iinger the inner ball will be rotated so as to bring theiigures out istration all would be, and the puzzle would be solved, but such is not the case. Consider Figure `10 1. If the inner ball should be rotated on an axis perpendicular to the plane of the paper for instance, the central iigure would remain in the central opening, but the other figures on the inner ball which are in view in Fig. l would have disappeared. Conversely, if the player gets one ligure centralized in an opening it does not necessarily mean that the others will appear in their respective openings, and the puzzle is only solved when this condition occurs.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I have shown a modified form of the device in which an inner ball III is covered by a transparent shell I I, the inner ball being movable around a common center in any direc` tion, as describedin connection with Figs. 1, 2 and 3. In this instance the inner ball is provided on its outer surface with iigures such as those shown at I2, I3 and I4, while on the outer side of the transparent ball or shell Il are gures I5, I6, Il, which may register with the gures I2, I3 and I4 in the manner of a jigesaw puzzle to form a completed figure which in the present instance is the triangle A, B, C.

In this form of the device the normal position of the inner ball I 0 with respect to the outer ball is such that the gures I2 to I'I inclusive are out of registration. This is accomplished by thrusting the linger through the opening I8 in the outer transparent shell II, and frictionally revolving the inner ball III in any direction.

In this form of the device, as in the other, it mayseem to be easy to bring the inner ball into the proper position to solve the puzzle, as by forming the triangle A, B, C,`because those forms or figures on the inner ball can be seen through the transparent shell. Such however is not the case since one often tries to manipulate the inner ball to bring a certain form or figure into registration with one on the outer shell, only to rind that the nary jig-saw puzzle. It is the apparent ease with which the puzzle may be solved and the real difficulty in solving it that forms one oi the main features of entertainment of both forms of this device.

It is obvious that other registering forms or gures might be used in connection with a transparent shell than those shown in Fig. 4. The triangle shown may be only one of a number of forms or gures, portions of which are shown at I9, 29, 2| and 22. The arrangement may be such that when one gure such as the triangle A, B, C may be formed, other figures may be formed at the same time, or each igure might be formed separately and constitute a puzzle in itself.y

I claim:

l. A puzzle comprising an outer spherical shell having an opening, an inner ball rotatable in any direction, and means on said shell and said ball adapted to be brought into registration by the movement of the ball for solving' the puzzle..

2. A device of the type described comprising an outer spherical shell having an opening, a ball disposed within said outer shell substantially in contact therewith and rotatable about the center of the shell, visible figures carried by the ball, and means carried by the shell and adapted to register with the gures on the ball when the ball is moved to a predetermined position.

3. A device of the type described comprising an outer spherical shell having a plurality of openings, an inner ball snugly fitting the shell and rotatable in any direction about the center of the shell, said ball having figures adapted to be brought into registration with said openings when the ball is moved to a predetermined position.

4. A device of the type described comprising a transparent shell, a ball snugly tting within the transparent shell and being provided with a plurality of gures, said shell having disposed thereon a plurality of gures adapted to register with the figures on the ball to form a completed object, and having an opening whereby the ball may be rotated Within the shell by frictional means applied through the opening.

5. A device of the type described comprising a ball having. thereon a representation of a portion of an object, an outer transparent shell snugly surrounding the ball and having thereon the representation of a different portion of the same object and being provided with a finger opening for giving access to the ball whereby the latter may be rotated to bring the portion of the object on the ball and the portion of the object on the shell into registration to complete the object.

LOUIS RAY LANE'. 

